BELARUSIAN-RUSSIAN REGIONAL ARMY GROUP BEGINS TABLETOP EXERCISE
A joint tabletop exercise of the united command of the Belarusian-Russian regional military group began on 23 March with a view to practicing using the regional group for the sake of military security of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, according to the representatives of the Belarusian Defense Ministry.
The source explained that the tabletop exercise had been arranged as part of the army's training plan for the academic year of 2014-2015. The staff exercise will last through 27 March. It is supervised by Major-General Oleg Belokonev, Chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian army, First Deputy Defense Minister of the Republic of Belarus.
As part of the exercise representatives of the Belarusian and Russian defense ministries will continue practicing the joint planning of the application of the troops considering the experience of armed conflicts of recent years with a view to ensuring the military security of the Union State. The exercise is a logical continuation of the series of joint exercises and is meant to improve the operational compatibility of military control agencies of the two countries that will take part in the Belarusian-Russian army exercise Union Shield 2015.
The staff training includes units of the Defense Ministry, the General Staff and the Armed Forces, operational groups of the Air Force and Air Defense Command, the Special Operations Command, staffs of territorial defense zones, central government agencies of Belarus. Taking part in the exercise are officers of the Russian army as part of the united command of the regional army group and the operational group of the Western Military District of the Russian army.
The source specified that the exercise is taking place at stationary command posts of the army, the Air Force and Air Defense units, the Special Operations Command, and headquarters of territorial defense zones.
